GRAMMY®-winning musician and songwriter Ben Harper has selected his favorite ballads for a career-spanning retrospective titled By My Side, to be released October 16 by Virgin/EMI. The collection, available in CD and digital formats, features 12 of Harper's most unforgettable songs, including "Forever," "Diamonds On The Inside," and "Waiting On An Angel," and also introduces a new ballad, "Crazy Amazing," which is exclusive to this release. By My Side also includes a rare studio version of "Not Fire Not Ice," previously unreleased in the U.S., which until now was available only on the international single for "Ground On Down."

Harper will headline his first-ever solo acoustic tour this fall, beginning September 26 in Ann Arbor, MI and continuing to several other major cities across North America before heading to New Zealand and Australia. Billed as "An Acoustic Evening with Ben Harper," the tour will include Harper's first headline performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall on October 10. Ever since his acclaimed acoustic performance at the inaugural Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2002, Harper has been besieged by fan requests for this kind of intimate outing. He will perform songs from throughout his career – from his 1994 debut, Welcome to the Cruel World, to his latest album, 2011's critically acclaimed Give Till It's Gone.

A musician, songwriter, producer, and activist, Ben Harper has released 10 acclaimed studio albums and three live records since 1994. These albums, combined with an unceasing commitment to international touring, have helped him grow a fan base that now spans several continents. Whether the soul of southern Gospel, '70s funk, blues, reggae, or straightforward rock and roll, Harper and his trademark Weissenborn guitar continue to stun audiences with incendiary live performances and timeless songwriting. A collaborator by nature, Harper has recorded and performed with a long list of artists including Ringo Starr, Pearl Jam, Jackson Browne, Charlie Musselwhite, Tom Morello, Rickie Lee Jones, Taj Mahal, Jack Johnson and Vanessa De Matta. His album with the Blind Boys of Alabama, There Will Be A Light, earned two GRAMMY® Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.